Green Information Systems Concepts and Principles

1. GreenInformation Systems Concepts and Principles Dr. Dwyer Fall 2012

2. What is IS? • Information and communications technologies (ICT) are driving a continuing evolution of innovation for all human activities, transforming the ways we do things, at home, at work and in the larger society. • The field of Information Systems (IS) studies the design, development, implementation, use and impact of ‘information systems’, which are complex socio-technical artefacts defined as “integrated and cooperating sets of people, processes, software, and information technologies to support individual, organizational, or societal goals” (Watson)

3. What is Green IS? • Development of information systems that provide the digital infrastructure for sustainable business processes. Examples: • Monitor emissions and waste products to manage them more effectively. • Dynamically route of vehicles to avoid traffic and minimize energy consumption.

4. What is Green IS? • Support distributed teamwork with telecommuting, collaborative work systems, group document management, and cooperative knowledge management. • Provide information to consumers so they can make green choices more conveniently and effectively.

5. Information as a resource • The success of an organization depends on its ability to collect and analyze relevant information to make strategic decisions to seize opportunities • The success of a professional depends on their ability to collect and analyze relevant data in order to recommend and implement strategic actions

6. Applied to Sustainability • Smart grid and distributed power can make the electric grid more robust • Centralized system is vulnerable, distributed system is more robust (Internet) • Green supply chain uses resources more efficiently (UPS, Walmart)

7. Energy Informatics Framework

8. “Systems” perspective • Systems Theory - interaction between sub-systems (technology systems & organizational system/social system) • Derives from biological systems, where components interact with each other (predators v. prey) • Interacting components that affect each other • Dynamic (always changing) – non-deterministic

9. Relevance of Socio-technical Systems Theory • Socio-technical Systems Theory argues that “technological systems contain messy, complex, problem-solving components,” Hughes, 1989 • Technological systems have embedded social components is central thesis of IS research • Apply Socio-technical systems theory to impact of human activities on the earth’s environment

10. System goal: overarching objective or purpose for the system (example: deliver electricity) Feedback loop: actual behavior of system is compared to system goal in order to make adjustment Based on Hughes, 1989

11. Examine System Goal • Goal of global economy is consumption and efficiency (profitability) • Reinforced by economic measures such as GDP • Need to align system with goal with sustainability • Will also require metrics to measure and support this re-alignment (see Evaluation and Indicators section)

12. Applied to Green IS • Sustainability -> risk and business continuity • Cell towers only eight hours of battery back up • New York Hospital put its backup generator in the basement which flooded • Also lost millions of dollars worth of medical imaging equipment and research materials

13. We are at a critical turning point 2004 1941 The Retreat of Muir Glacier, in Alaska

14. Super Storm Sandy

15. NYC Has to Plan for More Storms Like Sandy • NYT: Bloomberg Describes Plans for NYC Post-Sandy • Text of Mayor’s speech here • Will require infrastructure “hardening,” partly publically owned (roads and parks), part privately owned (grid and phone networks) • “In an age of fiber optics, we can’t be so dependent on traditional copper wiring. Verizon I think learnt that lesson during Sandy, which took out an astonishing 95 percent of its copper network in downtown Manhattan. They are now rebuilding better and smarter with fiber, but full restoration will take months.” – Mayor Bloomberg, Dec. 6th

16. Reaching limits of Nine Planetary Boundaries ‘A safe operating space for humanity,’ Nature, September 2009“We estimate that humanity has already transgressed three planetary boundaries: for climate change, rate of biodiversity loss, and changes to the global nitrogen cycle.”

17. The Synergy Between IS and Sustainability • The IS skill set ports over directly to Sustainability • We (IS) analyze how systems actually work, not just how they are designed • Fundamental IS concepts are directly applicable to sustainability issues, and provide ways to measure and encourage workable solutions • Sustainability requirements analysis • Socio-technical systems • Supply chain planet earth • Interoperability • Distributed systems

18. Interoperability • A real virtue in any information system, it can be very helpful if applied to energy consuming systems • Make them interoperable so they can work with any energy source – wind, solar, ethanol, etc. • Brazil is the leader in the use of flex-fuel, this concept can be extended to many other kinds of systems

19. IS and Brazil: Global Leaders for Sustainability • Brazil is a global leader in renewable energy sources (hydropower and ethanol) • Not just talk – in Brazil, it works! • Solution depended on interaction of technology (flex-fuel engines), agriculture (ethanol), and public policy (ban of gasoline-only vehicles) • This model works, and we need to deploy it around the globe Ethanol distillery, Piracicaba, São Paulo State.

20. Distributed versus centralized • IS concept: advantages and disadvantaged of distributed versus centralized computing systems • Advantage of distributed: more flexible, efficient, and more responsive • Advantage of centralized: better consistency, quality assurance, and standardization

21. Centralized power generation Centralized power generation is very inefficient, converting only 30% of energy into electricity

22. Distributed power generation Distributed power captures ‘waste heat’ and uses it for other needs (heating, hot water), for ~80% efficiency

23. Current project: Co-generation, or combined heat and power

24. Giant containers for hot water heated as a by-product of electrical generation

25. These tanks will replace our use of 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel to make hot water

26. Critical themes for IS and Sustainability • ‘Green IT’ – Minimize environmental impact of the data center, and running technology in general • ‘Green IS’ – sophisticated information systems that monitor and optimize use of resources • IS Educators – develop case studies, exercises, and materials that give students a richer understanding of intersection of energy policy, technical design, and individual choices • Green HCI (next slide)

27. ‘Green HCI’ • It is much easier to monitor Facebook activity compared to daily energy use • ‘Green HCI’ – provide clear and actionable energy consumption interfaces, that enableusers to minimize their energy use Standard meter Smart meter

28. Feedback loop

29. Embed ‘Green’ Behavior in a Social Context (OPOWER)

30. Design and Aesthetics Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Facility, Phoenix, Arizona, 1993

31. Research on Attitudes and Behavior • Climate change is an urgent problem • Use of fossil fuels is a large contributor to green house gas emissions (GHGE) • Individual energy consumption choices are related to GHGE • Non-economic methods are needed to encourage voluntary reduction in energy consumption • The Relationship Between Energy Literacy and Environmental Sustainability, Low Carbon Economy, 2011

32. Designed Energy Literacy Course • Develop conceptual fluency with the economic and social components of energy use • Topics include differences between fossil fuels, renewable energy alter-natives, and the link between consumption decisions and environmental impact • Subjects: 188 students from eight sections of Introduction to Computing course (pre- and post-course survey)

33. Why energy literacy rather than climate change? Climate change is extremely complex, and hard to explain to non-scientists. Energy can serve as a proxy for all sustainability issues Data from Wichita, Kansas, USA

34. Variability lowers public’s ‘belief’ in climate change This outlier undermines climate change argument Analysis of Energy Use is more tangible, more immediate Data from Bela Horizonte, Brazil

35. Three Attitudes Emerged • Denial - Individual denies climate change is “real,” and has no intention to change consumption behavior • Agency - Individual recognizes climate change as an urgent issue, believes their own actions can contribute to a solution • Anxiety - Individual expresses concern that climate change/energy shortages will lead to chaos and global destruction

36. Attitude Analysis NEP – measures of pro-environmental attitudes ERB – measures of pro-environmental behaviors

37. ‘Fear tactics’ interfere with behavioral changes • Subjects expressed anxiety about sustainability, but did not do things like recycle • Anxiety blocks change in behavior • ‘Global catastrophe’ themes in climate discussion may be hurting more than helping

38. Agency Anxiety I fear that we as a country will not conserve our resources and the majority of them will be used up before I die. The planet will die. • I think that everyone needs to take responsibility for their own actions. The world depends on it. • We must be able to conserve resources that we have today and learn to use new ones.

39. Findings • Discussions of sustainability with disaster themes can trigger anxiety that interferes with the goal of encouraging sustainability. In contrast, materials that focused on the pragmatic necessity and concrete benefits had a more positive impact on promoting pro-environmental behavior • Need to create programs that mitigate the negative effect of anxiety provoking discussions on pro-environmental behavior

40. Enterprise Systems and Sustainability • SAP Sustainability Chief – TED Talk • How to motivate sustainable behavior • Link

41. SIGGreen Mission • Information systems research can make an important contribution to knowledge at the nexus of information, organizations, and the natural environment; to the development of innovative environmental strategies; to the creation and evaluation of systems that break new ground in environmental responsibility; and, ultimately, to the improvement of the natural environment. • http://siggreen.wikispaces.com/

42. Green IS Resources • Watson, Richard; Boudreau, Marie-Claude (2011-08-16). Energy Informatics. Green ePress. • SIGGreen site: http://siggreen.wikispaces.com/Twitter: @AIS_SIGGreen • Videos of SIGGreen Workshop Presentations (2012):SIGGreen Workshop - Barcelona, Spain - June 2012 • Catherine DwyerTwitter: @ProfCDwyerhttp://csis.pace.edu/~dwyer • Helen HasanTwitter: @bottlingfogBlog: http://bottlingfog.wordpress.com/